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Compare Guinea-Bissau (2006) - Netherlands Antilles (2006)

Compare Guinea-Bissau (2006) z Netherlands Antilles (2006)

 Guinea-Bissau (2006)Netherlands Antilles (2006)
 Guinea-BissauNetherlands Antilles
Administrative divisions 9 regions (regioes, singular - regiao); Bafata, Biombo, Bissau, Bolama, Cacheu, Gabu, Oio, Quinara, Tombali; note - Bolama may have been renamed Bolama/Bijagos none (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands)


note: each island has its own government
Age structure 0-14 years: 41.4% (male 297,623/female 298,942)


15-64 years: 55.6% (male 384,559/female 417,811)


65 years and over: 3% (male 18,048/female 25,046) (2006 est.)
0-14 years: 23.9% (male 27,197/female 25,886)


15-64 years: 67.3% (male 71,622/female 77,710)


65 years and over: 8.7% (male 7,925/female 11,396) (2006 est.)
Agriculture - products rice, corn, beans, cassava (tapioca), cashew nuts, peanuts, palm kernels, cotton; timber; fish aloes, sorghum, peanuts, vegetables, tropical fruit
Airports 28 (2006) 5 (2006)
Airports - with paved runways total: 3


over 3,047 m: 1


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2006)
total: 5


over 3,047 m: 1


2,438 to 3,047 m: 1


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 1


under 914 m: 1 (2006)
Airports - with unpaved runways total: 25


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 4


under 914 m: 20 (2006)
-
Area total: 36,120 sq km


land: 28,000 sq km


water: 8,120 sq km
total: 960 sq km


land: 960 sq km


water: 0 sq km


note: includes Bonaire, Curacao, Saba, Sint Eustatius, and Sint Maarten (Dutch part of the island of Saint Martin)
Area - comparative slightly less than three times the size of Connecticut more than five times the size of Washington, DC
Background Since independence from Portugal in 1974, Guinea-Bissau has experienced considerable political and military upheaval. In 1980, a military coup established authoritarian dictator Joao Bernardo 'Nino' VIEIRA as president. Despite setting a path to a market economy and multiparty system, VIEIRA's regime was characterized by the suppression of political opposition and the purging of political rivals. Several coup attempts through the 1980s and early 1990s failed to unseat him. In 1994 VIEIRA was elected president in the country's first free elections. A military mutiny and resulting civil war in 1998 eventually led to VIEIRA's ouster in May 1999. In February 2000, a transitional government turned over power to opposition leader Kumba YALA, after he was elected president in transparent polling. In September 2003, after only three years in office, YALA was ousted by the military in a bloodless coup, and businessman Henrique ROSA was sworn in as interim president. In August 2005, former President VIEIRA was re-elected president in the second round of presidential polling. Since formally assuming office in October 2005, Vieira has pledged to pursue economic development and national reconciliation. Once the center of the Caribbean slave trade, the island of Curacao was hard hit by the abolition of slavery in 1863. Its prosperity (and that of neighboring Aruba) was restored in the early 20th century with the construction of oil refineries to service the newly discovered Venezuelan oil fields. The island of Saint Martin is shared with France; its southern portion is named Sint Maarten and is part of the Netherlands Antilles; its northern portion is called Saint-Martin and is part of Guadeloupe (France).
Birth rate 37.22 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) 14.78 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Budget revenues: $NA


expenditures: $NA
revenues: $757.9 million


expenditures: $949.5 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (2004)
Capital name: Bissau


geographic coordinates: 11 51 N, 15 35 W


time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
name: Willemstad (on Curacao)


geographic coordinates: 12 06 N, 68 56 W


time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Climate tropical; generally hot and humid; monsoonal-type rainy season (June to November) with southwesterly winds; dry season (December to May) with northeasterly harmattan winds tropical; ameliorated by northeast trade winds
Coastline 350 km 364 km
Constitution 16 May 1984; amended 4 May 1991, 4 December 1991, 26 February 1993, 9 June 1993, NA 1996 29 December 1954, Statute of the Realm of the Netherlands, as amended
Country name conventional long form: Republic of Guinea-Bissau


conventional short form: Guinea-Bissau


local long form: Republica da Guine-Bissau


local short form: Guine-Bissau


former: Portuguese Guinea
conventional long form: none


conventional short form: Netherlands Antilles


local long form: none


local short form: Nederlandse Antillen


former: Curacao and Dependencies
Death rate 16.53 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) 6.45 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Debt - external $941.5 million (2000 est.) $2.68 billion (2004)
Dependency status - an autonomous country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands; full autonomy in internal affairs granted in 1954; Dutch Government responsible for defense and foreign affairs
Diplomatic representation from the US the US Embassy suspended operations on 14 June 1998 in the midst of violent conflict between forces loyal to then President VIEIRA and military-led junta; the US Ambassador to Senegal is accredited to Guinea-Bissau chief of mission: Consul General Robert E. SORENSON


consulate(s) general: J. B. Gorsiraweg #1, Willemstad, Curacao


mailing address: P. O. Box 158, Willemstad, Curacao


telephone: [599] (9) 4613066


FAX: [599] (9) 4616489
Diplomatic representation in the US chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); note - Guinea-Bissau does not have official representation in Washington, DC; Guinea-Bissau's representative in Washington is Henrique Adriano DA SILVA, P.O. Box 33813, Washington, DC 20033, telephone: (301)947-3958 none (represented by the Kingdom of the Netherlands); note - Mr. Jeffrey CORRION, Minister Plenipotentiary for Aruba at the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands
Disputes - international attempts to stem refugees and cross-border raids, arms smuggling, and political instability from a separatist movement in Senegal's Casamance region none
Economic aid - recipient $115.4 million (1995) $21.5 million IMF provided $61 million in 2000, and the Netherlands continued its support with $40 million (2004)
Economy - overview One of the 10 poorest countries in the world, Guinea-Bissau depends mainly on farming and fishing. Cashew crops have increased remarkably in recent years, and the country now ranks sixth in cashew production. Guinea-Bissau exports fish and seafood along with small amounts of peanuts, palm kernels, and timber. Rice is the major crop and staple food. However, intermittent fighting between Senegalese-backed government troops and a military junta destroyed much of the country's infrastructure and caused widespread damage to the economy in 1998; the civil war led to a 28% drop in GDP that year, with partial recovery in 1999-2002. Before the war, trade reform and price liberalization were the most successful part of the country's structural adjustment program under IMF sponsorship. The tightening of monetary policy and the development of the private sector had also begun to reinvigorate the economy. Because of high costs, the development of petroleum, phosphate, and other mineral resources is not a near-term prospect. However, offshore oil prospecting has begun and could lead to much-needed revenue in the long run. The inequality of income distribution is one of the most extreme in the world. The government and international donors continue to work out plans to forward economic development from a lamentably low base. In December 2003, the World Bank, IMF, and UNDP were forced to step in to provide emergency budgetary support in the amount of $107 million for 2004, representing over 80% of the total national budget. Government drift and indecision, however, have resulted in continued low growth in 2002-05. Tourism, petroleum refining, and offshore finance are the mainstays of this small economy, which is closely tied to the outside world. Although GDP has declined or grown slightly in each of the past eight years, the islands enjoy a high per capita income and a well-developed infrastructure compared with other countries in the region. Almost all consumer and capital goods are imported, the US and Mexico being the major suppliers. Poor soils and inadequate water supplies hamper the development of agriculture. Budgetary problems hamper reform of the health and pension systems of an aging population.
Electricity - consumption 52.08 million kWh (2003) 945.8 million kWh (2003)
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (2003) 0 kWh (2003)
Electricity - imports 0 kWh (2003) 0 kWh (2003)
Electricity - production 56 million kWh (2003) 1.017 billion kWh (2003)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m


highest point: unnamed location in the northeast corner of the country 300 m
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m


highest point: Mount Scenery 862 m
Environment - current issues deforestation; soil erosion; overgrazing; overfishing NA
Environment - international agreements party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Wetlands


signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
-
Ethnic groups African 99% (includes Balanta 30%, Fula 20%, Manjaca 14%, Mandinga 13%, Papel 7%), European and mulatto less than 1% mixed black 85%, Carib Amerindian, white, East Asian
Exchange rates Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar - 527.47 (2005), 528.29 (2004), 581.2 (2003), 696.99 (2002), 733.04 (2001)


note: since 1 January 1999, the XOF franc has been pegged to the euro at a rate of 655.957 XOF francs per euro
Netherlands Antillean guilders per US dollar - 1.79 (2005), 1.79 (2004), 1.79 (2003), 1.79 (2002), 1.79 (2001)
Executive branch chief of state: President Joao Bernardo 'Nino' VIEIRA (since 1 October 2005)


head of government: Prime Minister Aristides GOMES (since 2 November 2005)


cabinet: NA


elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (no term limits); election last held 24 July 2005 (next to be held in 2010); prime minister appointed by the president after consultation with party leaders in the legislature


election results: Joao Bernardo VIEIRA elected president; percent of vote, second ballot - Joao Bernardo VIEIRA 52.4%, Malan Bacai SANHA 47.6%
chief of state: Queen BEATRIX of the Netherlands (since 30 April 1980), represented by Governor General Frits GOEDGEDRAG (since 1 July 2002)


head of government: Prime Minister Emily de JONGH-ELHAGE (since 26 March 2006)


cabinet: Council of Ministers elected by the Staten (legislature)


elections: the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch for a six-year term; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party is usually elected prime minister by the Staten; election last held 27 January 2006 (next to be held by 2007)


note: government coalition - PAR, PNP, DP St. Maarten, UP Bonaire, WIPM Saba, DP Statia
Exports NA bbl/day NA bbl/day
Exports - commodities cashew nuts, shrimp, peanuts, palm kernels, sawn lumber petroleum products
Exports - partners India 72%, Nigeria 17.1%, Ecuador 4% (2005) US 29.4%, Panama 14.4%, Mexico 8.8%, Haiti 5.6%, Venezuela 4.9%, Bahamas, The 4.5% (2005)
Fiscal year calendar year calendar year
Flag description two equal horizontal bands of yellow (top) and green with a vertical red band on the hoist side; there is a black five-pointed star centered in the red band; uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia white, with a horizontal blue stripe in the center superimposed on a vertical red band, also centered; five white, five-pointed stars are arranged in an oval pattern in the center of the blue band; the five stars represent the five main islands of Bonaire, Curacao, Saba, Sint Eustatius, and Sint Maarten
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 62%


industry: 12%


services: 26% (1999 est.)
agriculture: 1%


industry: 15%


services: 84% (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 2.3% (2005 est.) 1% (2004 est.)
Geographic coordinates 12 00 N, 15 00 W 12 15 N, 68 45 W
Geography - note this small country is swampy along its western coast and low-lying further inland the five islands of the Netherlands Antilles are divided geographically into the Leeward Islands (northern) group (Saba, Sint Eustatius, and Sint Maarten) and the Windward Islands (southern) group (Bonaire and Curacao)
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: 0.5%


highest 10%: 42.4% (1991)
lowest 10%: NA%


highest 10%: NA%
Illicit drugs - transshipment point for South American drugs bound for the US and Europe; money-laundering center
Imports NA bbl/day NA bbl/day
Imports - commodities foodstuffs, machinery and transport equipment, petroleum products crude petroleum, food, manufactures
Imports - partners Italy 25.3%, Senegal 18.6%, Portugal 15.8%, Cote d'Ivoire 4.3% (2005) Venezuela 52.3%, US 21.4%, Italy 4.9%, Netherlands 4.6% (2005)
Independence 24 September 1973 (unilaterally declared by Guinea-Bissau); 10 September 1974 (recognized by Portugal) none (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands)
Industrial production growth rate 4.7% (2003 est.) NA%
Industries agricultural products processing, beer, soft drinks tourism (Curacao, Sint Maarten, and Bonaire), petroleum refining (Curacao), petroleum transshipment facilities (Curacao and Bonaire), light manufacturing (Curacao)
Infant mortality rate total: 105.21 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 115.53 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 94.57 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
total: 9.76 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 10.54 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 8.93 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 4% (2002 est.) 2.1% (2003 est.)
International organization participation ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, ECOWAS, FAO, FZ, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO (correspondent), ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OIF, OPCW (signatory), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WADB (regional), WAEMU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, UNESCO (associate), UPU, WCL, WCO, WMO, WToO (associate)
Irrigated land 250 sq km (2003) NA
Judicial branch Supreme Court or Supremo Tribunal da Justica (consists of nine justices appointed by the president and serve at his pleasure; final court of appeals in criminal and civil cases); Regional Courts (one in each of nine regions; first court of appeals for Sectoral Court decisions; hear all felony cases and civil cases valued at over $1,000); 24 Sectoral Courts (judges are not necessarily trained lawyers; they hear civil cases under $1,000 and misdemeanor criminal cases) Joint High Court of Justice (judges appointed by the monarch)
Labor force 480,000 (1999) 83,600 (2005)
Labor force - by occupation agriculture: 82%


industry and services: 18% (2000 est.)
agriculture: 1%


industry: 20%


services: 79% (2005 est.)
Land boundaries total: 724 km


border countries: Guinea 386 km, Senegal 338 km
total: 15 km


border countries: Guadeloupe (Saint-Martin) 15 km
Land use arable land: 8.31%


permanent crops: 6.92%


other: 84.77% (2005)
arable land: 10%


permanent crops: 0%


other: 90% (2005)
Languages Portuguese (official), Crioulo, African languages Papiamento 65.4% (a Spanish-Portuguese-Dutch-English dialect), English 15.9% (widely spoken), Dutch 7.3% (official), Spanish 6.1%, Creole 1.6%, other 1.9%, unspecified 1.8% (2001 census)
Legal system accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction based on Dutch civil law system with some English common law influence
Legislative branch unicameral National People's Assembly or Assembleia Nacional Popular (100 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve a maximum of four years)


elections: last held 28 March 2004 (next to be held in 2008)


election results: percent of vote by party - PAIGC 31.5%, PRS 24.8%, PUSD 16.1%, UE 4.1%, APU 1.3%, 13 other parties 22.2%; seats by party - PAIGC 45, PRS 35, PUSD 17, UE 2, APU 1
unicameral States or Staten (22 seats - Curacao 14, Bonaire 3, St. Maarten 3, St. Eustatius 1, Saba 1; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)


elections: last held 27 January 2006 (next to be held in 2010)


election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PAR 5, MAN 3, FOL 2, Forsa Korsou 2, National Alliance 2, PNP 2, UPB 2, DP St. E 1, DP St. M 1, BDP 1, WIPM 1


note: the government of Prime Minister Emily de JONGH-ELHAGE is a coalition of several parties
Life expectancy at birth total population: 46.87 years


male: 45.05 years


female: 48.75 years (2006 est.)
total population: 76.03 years


male: 73.76 years


female: 78.41 years (2006 est.)
Literacy definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 42.4%


male: 58.1%


female: 27.4% (2003 est.)
definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 96.7%


male: 96.7%


female: 96.8% (2003 est.)
Location Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Guinea and Senegal Caribbean, two island groups in the Caribbean Sea - composed of five islands, Curacao and Bonaire located off the coast of Venezuela, and St. Maarten, Saba, and St. Eustatius lie east of the US Virgin Islands
Map references Africa Central America and the Caribbean
Maritime claims territorial sea: 12 nm


exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm


exclusive fishing zone: 12 nm
Merchant marine - total: 152 ships (1000 GRT or over) 1,289,462 GRT/1,671,649 DWT


by type: barge carrier 3, bulk carrier 13, cargo 68, chemical tanker 3, container 19, liquefied gas 4, passenger 2, passenger/cargo 3, petroleum tanker 2, refrigerated cargo 28, roll on/roll off 4, specialized tanker 3


foreign-owned: 143 (Belgium 4, Cuba 1, Denmark 1, Germany 60, Netherlands 54, Norway 5, Sweden 5, Turkey 9, UK 3, US 1)


registered in other countries: 1 (Netherlands 1) (2006)
Military - note - defense is the responsibility of the Kingdom of the Netherlands
Military branches People's Revolutionary Armed Force (FARP; includes Army, Navy, and Air Force), paramilitary force no regular military forces; National Guard, Police Force (2005)
Military expenditures - dollar figure $9.46 million (2005 est.) -
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 3.1% (2005 est.) -
National holiday Independence Day, 24 September (1973) Queen's Day (Birthday of Queen-Mother JULIANA in 1909 and accession to the throne of her oldest daughter BEATRIX in 1980), 30 April
Nationality noun: Guinean(s)


adjective: Guinean
noun: Dutch Antillean(s)


adjective: Dutch Antillean
Natural hazards hot, dry, dusty harmattan haze may reduce visibility during dry season; brush fires Curacao and Bonaire are south of Caribbean hurricane belt and are rarely threatened; Sint Maarten, Saba, and Sint Eustatius are subject to hurricanes from July to October
Natural resources fish, timber, phosphates, bauxite, clay, granite, limestone, unexploited deposits of petroleum phosphates (Curacao only), salt (Bonaire only)
Net migration rate 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) -0.4 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Political parties and leaders African Party for the Independence of Guinea-Bissau and Cape Verde or PAIGC [Carlos GOMES Junior]; Democratic Social Front or FDS; Electoral Union or UE; Party for Democratic Convergence or PCD [Victor MANDINGA]; Social Renovation Party or PRS [Alberto NAMBEIA]; Union for Change or UM [Jorge MANDINGA, president, Dr. Anne SAAD, secretary general]; United Platform or UP (coalition formed by PCD, FDS, FLING, and RGB-MB); United Popular Alliance or APU; United Social Democratic Party or PUSD [Francisco Jose FADUL] Bonaire: Democratic Party of Bonaire or PDB [Jopi ABRAHAM]; Patriotic Union of Bonaire or UPB [Ramonsito BOOI]


Curacao: Ban Vota [Norbert GEORGE]; C-93 [Stanley BROWN]; Democratic Party of Curacao or DP [Errol HERNANDEZ]; E Mayoria [Aurelio PEDRO]; Forsa Korsou [Nelson NAVARRO]; Liste Ni'un Paso Atras [Nelson PIERRE]; Movemiento Patriotiko Korsou [Reginald LAK]; New Antilles Movement or MAN [Charles COOPER]; Partido Akshon Pa Prosperidat I Seguridat [Sonja BERKEMEYER]; Partido Laboral Krusada Popular or PLKP [Errol COVA]; Party for the Restructured Antilles or PAR [Emily de JONGH-ELHAGE]; People's National Party or PNP [Ersilia DE LANNOOY]; Pidjin [Jasmin PINEDO]; Pueblo Soberano [Herman WIELS]; Workers' Liberation Front or FOL [Anthony GODETT]


Saba: Saba Labor Party [Akilah LEVENSTONE]; Windward Islands People's Movement or WIPM [Ray HASSELL]


Sint Eustatius: Democratic Party of Sint Eustatius or DP-St. E [Julian WOODLEY]; Progressive Labor Party [Clyde VAN PUTTEN]; St. Eustatius Alliance [Ingrid HOUTMAN-WHITFIELD]


Sint Maarten: Democratic Party of Sint Maarten or DP-St. M [Sarah WESCOTT-WILLIAMS]; Freedom Slate of National Democratic Party [Theophilus PRIEST]; National Alliance or NA [William MARLIN]; People's Progressive Alliance or PPA [Gracita ARRINDELL]; St. Maarten People's Party [Johan LEONARD]; United People's Labor Party [Bienvenido RICHARDSON]


note: political parties are indigenous to each island
Political pressure groups and leaders NA Unions (AVBO) and Employers Association (VBC)
Population 1,442,029 (July 2006 est.) 221,736 (July 2006 est.)
Population below poverty line NA% NA%
Population growth rate 2.07% (2006 est.) 0.79% (2006 est.)
Radio broadcast stations AM 1 (transmitter out of service), FM 4, shortwave 0 (2002) AM 8, FM 19, shortwave 0 (2004)
Religions indigenous beliefs 50%, Muslim 45%, Christian 5% Roman Catholic 72%, Pentecostal 4.9%, Protestant 3.5%, Seventh-Day Adventist 3.1%, Methodist 2.9%, Jehovah's Witnesses 1.7%, other Christian 4.2%, Jewish 1.3%, other or unspecified 1.2%, none 5.2% (2001 census)
Sex ratio at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.72 male(s)/female


total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female


total population: 0.93 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
Suffrage 18 years of age; universal 18 years of age; universal
Telephone system general assessment: small system


domestic: combination of microwave radio relay, open-wire lines, radiotelephone, and cellular communications


international: country code - 245
general assessment: generally adequate facilities


domestic: extensive interisland microwave radio relay links


international: country code - 599; submarine cables - 2; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Telephones - main lines in use 10,600 (2003) 81,000 (2001)
Telephones - mobile cellular 67,000 (2005) 200,000 (2004)
Television broadcast stations NA (2005) 3 (there is also a cable service, which supplies programs received from various US satellite networks and four Venezuelan channels) (2004)
Terrain mostly low coastal plain rising to savanna in east generally hilly, volcanic interiors
Total fertility rate 4.86 children born/woman (2006 est.) 1.99 children born/woman (2006 est.)
Unemployment rate NA% 17% (2002 est.)
Waterways four largest rivers are navigable for some distance; many inlets and creeks give shallow-water access to much of interior (2006) -
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